By Justin Rushia
The Plattsburgh State women’s basketball team’s 2024-2025 campaign marked one of its best seasons in program history.
The Cardinals (14-12, 10-8) 2024-2025 season was the first time Plattsburgh made the playoffs since the 2014-2015 season.
“We set the goal this year of making the playoffs — but we wanted to host — so that was the one goal we fell short of, but it’s hard not to say that this season was a success,” head coach Ben Sarraf said.
This season also marked the first time Plattsburgh accumulated a winning record since the 2015-2016 season, and the first time the Cardinals had a positive conference record since the 2013-2014 season — which was also the last time Plattsburgh won a playoff game.
“We knew how important making the playoffs was,’ assistant coach Keith Wasberg said. “That was the thing we wanted to accomplish, and we weren’t going to accept anything less.”
A big part of the team’s success this season was the play of senior forward Payton Couture.
“One of the things that one of the things that made Payton so great is not just all the things that she could do and her skills, she has the abilities, but that she was team first, and she didn’t need the spotlight or the accolades,” Wasberg said. “She wanted to make other people better, and that’s what she did.
Couture averaged a team-high 12.9 points per game and recorded her 1000th collegiate point earlier this season. She also ranked second in blocks, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, and minutes per game. Couture’s play earned her a spot on the All-SUNYAC second team, marking her second appearance on the All-SUNYAC team after being named to the third team last year.
Couture was the only Cardinal to make an All-SUNYAC team.
“We can’t replace Peyton, but we can definitely increase the level of play across the board as a team,” Sarraf said. “That’s, you know, unwritten at this point, but we have plenty of players in this roster who have it in them to take over a game.”
Junior center Imani Walcott had an impressive season for the Cardinals and was the backbone of Plattsburgh’s defense.
Walcott leads the team in blocks and rebounds while being second on the team in steals. Walcott was second in points per game for Plattsburgh.
Julia Greek also stepped up big for the Cardinals. With former starting point guard Mya Smith graduating, Greek took on the primary ball-handler role, leading the team in assists and steals while being the team’s primary ball-handler.
Junior guard Jaden Wilson also played a more significant role this season, leading the team in three-pointers made and was third in scoring.
“I looked at the numbers, and it was almost like every single player on my team was having a career year, statistically,” Sarraf said. “The team as a whole, our success as a whole, was a reflection of everybody getting better.”
Next season, Plattsburgh will miss Couture’s play but is confident that they can step up and fill her shoes.
“Whether it’s through execution at point guard from Julia Greek, whether it’s through dominating the boards like Imani does, or scoring points in batches like Jaden or just hitting consecutive threes like Selma (Diesz),” Sarraf said. “We’ve got enough in the cabinet where I’m pretty confident someone’s going to step up, or just the whole team is going to rise to the occasion, and we’ll win by committee.”
